Saturday, 12 August 2017

5 Reasons I Go To The Gym

Going to the gym has become such a big part of my weekly routine that it felt almost strange to not have been sharing any of my journey on here. I thought what better way to kick things off than a summary of the main five reasons I go. Plus this new gym gear was too nice only to be seen by members of my gym - fun fact: they have picked up on my black, grey, pink and white colour scheme.

1 | Active

Probably one of the most obvious answers that you were all expecting to be in here somewhere but true nonetheless. I spend the majority of my Monday to Friday sat at my office desk with approximately a ten minute walk to work and another ten minutes home. Like the rest of London I mostly use tubes to get me from A to B leaving me with minimal exercise on a weekly basis. Keeping fit is important to me as I try to alway keep myself on the good side of the health spectrum as much as possible. After taking a long break it feels good to get back in to a rhythm of going on a regular basis and can happily say I've been going non-stop since December only missing three weeks in total.

2 | Strength

Your first thought about why people go to the gym is often what it does for their body but my preference is what it does for my mind. Working out is a great stress reliever and positively directs pent-up energy into something meaningful and constructive. The difference I have seen in my mental strength is undeniable. Think how many times you have to push through even when you don't think you can physically do anymore, how you challenge yourself every session, how you feel when you see progression or achieve a personal goal, amazing. Our bodies are stretched and worked out in ways that we may not be aware of or use muscles we haven't used before, maybe even enhance the ones we do. Nothing beats the post gym feeling minus the aching of course!

3 | Sleep

I have suffered with a sleep routine for years now but in the last two it has been worse than ever. Part of the issue was that I wasn't doing anything to make my body tired. Lounging around all day and then getting in to bed my body didn't know what to do with itself. Going to the gym means I use up my spare energy so when I wind down I don't still have an overly active body or brain. Normally, after doing a class or training session I find it much easier to drift in comparison to the nights I don't, which if you've experienced night after night of only a couple hours sleep you become very grateful for.

4 | Socialise

This might sound odd because you aren't doing that much in the gym if you are having a chinwag, however this is not exactly what I mean. When I first moved to London and could count all the people I knew on one hand it was easily to feel very cut off from the community. Once joining the gym I was exposed to so many social groups that I otherwise would not have been introduced to. After becoming a regular to certain classes you start to recognise familiar faces and they recognise yours. It normally starts with a smile, a remark about the class or a comment mentioning something about your day, maybe even the weather; we are brits after all. Before you know it you have a bond with these people and friendships develop making your time in the gym less lonely and more enjoyable. By having a common goal to grow and flourish striking up a conversation becomes much easier than you think and they can pass on useful skills and offer knowledge to inspire and motivate you.

"I exercise because somehow completely exhausting myself is the most relaxing part of my day."

5 | AttitudeFinding the motivation at times can be challenging. Just getting there you can learn and experience valuable emotions and attitudes about yourself and also external factors. Your mindset has a big impact on your results. As stated previously, although I have noted changes in my body but the strength I am most proud to witness is all in my head. Picking myself up when I would much rather spend all night watching the latest series on Netflix is worth it when I come out thanking my lucky stars that I pushed myself to go. Working hard means I can justify a break, it is all about finding a balance you are happy with. I find my productivity outside of the gym has increased along with my alertness and concentration making my everyday run that little bit smoother. Another valid point is going to the gym supports a positive change in the eating habits, in my opinion. Talking to staff and personal trainers it highlighted to me as I went through my meals that although I was eating all my fruit and veg, I was lacking in other key groups. I am no professional but there will always be room to improve, ways to grow and obstacles thrown in my way, there is a lot of routes to take - quitting isn't one of them.

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I hope you have enjoyed this sporty post, something a little different! Not everyday fashion (and a lot of food at the minute).